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I just crossed 125 paying subscribers and I am now firmly sitting on the growth plateau.
The growth plateau is the space you land after the initial excitement dies down, when it’s time to get to work and get to convincing more people to come along with you.
So I thought…what would you tell someone else to do next, Lex?
💡 CHECK YOUR FOUNDATIONS.
Last week, I made a whiteboard to work this out for myself.
This week, I turned it into a map for you.
The Foundation Map is a detailed checklist of everything you need to turn your passion project into a full fledged business.
Webpages. Sequences. Revenue Recovery. Social Automations. Promo Campaigns.
It doesn’t matter if you launched yesterday or 10 years ago. Either way, you’ll find this map useful in where to focus and fix leaks.
OH BUT LEX NOW I AM OVERWHELMED WITH DESPAIR LOOKING AT ALL THIS WORK.
Never fear my friend! I am not gonna leave you hanging here.
We’re gonna start working through this together LIVE. One piece at a time. Starting in April. Only available to Paid Sub Playbook members.
No need to wait for me though. Get cracking on your foundations below!
In this play:
Grab Your Foundation Map
The Foundation Map is a robust checklist to help you make sure you’re not missing anything. It includes everything that I’d consider “foundational” to a paid newsletter or a blog.
Do you need everything in the Foundation Map just because I said it was foundational?
NOPE! Your choice. These are common pieces to plug in, but they’re just options.
Grab the Foundation Map and then finish reading these instructions.
If you want to follow my order: start from the bottom left and work your way across, then up.
Choose your own adventure
Imagine we’re heading out on a road trip. I just handed you the Foundation Map and you’re calling the shots as I drive us through Paid Sub Partytown.
A few things to know about our trip…
- I’m cooking up the recipes as we go. The Foundation Map is a complete workbook, but I didn’t pack the recipes inside because I’m creating them with your input as we go. Find the recipes we have so far in the Paid Sub Playbook and I’ll be shipping more every month for you to pair with this.
- I’m here to help you build these foundations. I’m planning to do that through one month challenges (called “Sprints”) where we take on one foundation together, you get my guidance, share progress, and get peer feedback. It’s gonna be easy and fun!
- You’ll tell me where we go next. You’re calling the shots, remember! Your report backs help me determine where to focus (and whether or not something like the Foundation Map even works for you!)
When to move to the 3×3×3 Growth System
So what about The 3×3×3 Growth System?
I maybe got a little ahead of myself making a growth system before a foundation system, so to put it simply: foundations before growth.
Your workflow should look something like this…
The Foundation Map = Foundation Mode. Make sure you’ve got the basics in place, using standard patterns that are easy to get right (like having a big prominent call to action!)
The 3×3×3 Growth System = Validation Mode. Once you’ve tackled the obvious, it’s time to test new stuff. The 3×3×3 can help structure your growth experiments so it’s easy to tell what worked (and what didn’t).
I don’t have anything for Operation Mode yet, but we’ll get there! Operation mode is about taking what works and turning it into processes, systems and practices.
Where to start
Pick a block any block! Just one though!
The sprint we’re starting in April will cover the Why Pay Sequence (page 7) so you could begin there if you want a head start. Otherwise, I recommend the Failed Payment Flow (page 12) which is an easy way to recoup some revenue!
Got questions? Want to share breakthroughs or blockers?
I’d love to hear it! You can either comment on this post or send me a question.
